Introduction

Flipped classrooms is a form of blended learning and more teachers are becoming interested in incorporating this method into their classrooms. A flipped classroom is easily defined as a traditional lecture-based learning strategy inverted. So watching, reading, or listening to the lecture at home or outside of the classroom and doing the homework in class with support from peers and the teacher. The flipped classroom foundation was laid when Alison King wrote an article “From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side” in 1993. Followed by Eric Mazur, in 1997 introducing peer instruction which is a form of active learning that is used highly in flipped classrooms today. In 2006, recording lessons became popular when Sal Khan founded Khan Academy and shared his videos for free to everybody. Many teachers and students viewed his lessons and used them in their classrooms. When Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams published their book “Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day” in 2012 is when the concept really took hold.

When using a flipped classroom model during class time it is important to use active learning to engage the students into deeper understanding and thought. While students are in the classroom they will be practicing various problems with their peers in small or large group, through think-pair-share, gallery walks, and peer instruction. There are several benefits of active learning to include improved critical thinking, increased retention of material, increased motivation to learn, improved interpersonal skills, and decreased number of failures. Along with benefits there are challenges in having a flipped classroom. Many of the challenges stem from a lack of understanding what it is. For teachers, it is very time consuming to create videos and material that will supplement the flipped classroom model and for the students it is a lack of participation in the work that must be done prior to class. Another challenge is the operational aspect of the flipped classroom as the teachers need to have some IT skills and the students need to have access to the internet so they can access the materials anywhere and anytime.

What is a Flipped Classroom?

A flipped classroom model is one of several different types of blended learning strategies out there. Flipped classroom can also be referred to as flipped learning as they are used interchangeably. There are many variations of the flipped learning strategy, however the generalized definition is taking the traditional lecture-based learning strategy and inverting it (Bright HUB Education, 2018). Students now learn the material at home by watching a video lecture and when at school students do their homework working in whole group or small group with guidance from the teacher. Thus turning the focus from the teacher to the student creating a student-centered environment where the teacher is facilitating the discussion and meaningful learning (Roehl, 2013).

A flipped classroom model first emerged in 1993 after Alison King, a researcher, published “From Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side”. She focused on the use of class time using the constructivist model which is student centered and students find meaning in their learning while the facilitator guides them (King, 1993). Even though King did not directly introduce the flipped classroom model herself her work is known as the foundation of the flipped model. Later that decade, in 1997, Eric Mazur wrote “Peer Instruction” that helped mold the flipped model. Mazur realized that lectures are only transferring knowledge from the instructor to the student’s notebook but it is not going through to their brains (Lambert, 2012). Mazur had his student read his lecture notes before class and write down any questions they might have so while in class they could discuss those questions to get a deeper understanding of the concept.

In 2000, Maureen Lage, Glenn Platt, and Michael Treglia published a research paper “Inverting the Classroom: A Gateway to Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment” sharing their experiences with inverting the traditional lecture strategy. They provided various formats of the lecture for the students to view outside of the classroom prior to attending class. They videotaped the traditional lecture, used PowerPoint slides linking it to sound walking them through the slides, or finding a reference point (Lage., et al., 2000). One person that has been very influential to the flipped model is Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy. Khan Academy was formed in 2008, however he began recording video lessons as early as 2004 for his cousin and then making them free to the public in 2006. These videos have roughly half a billion views and they are used by students and teachers alike. Some teachers use it as part of their flipped classroom lecture for the students to watch instead of creating one of their own (High, 2014).

Active Learning within a Flipped Classroom

Active learning is when all students are engaged as active participants in their class environment with their teacher and or peers. There are many teaching strategies and activities to encourage active learning, for example, students working collaboratively in small groups or large groups or students working individually reflecting upon the material. As long as students are doing meaningful activities that get them thinking about what they are doing that is active learning (Roehl, 2013).

Within the flipped model students are introduced to the content outside of the classroom in the form of readings, videos, or activities. When the students are in the classroom they will be able to focus on the content itself with practicing various problems in a small group or whole group, through think-pair-share, gallery walks, and peer instruction (Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.). This allows students to learn the material with a much deeper understanding and to think more critically, and be more engaged in their learning process, learner-centered (Talbert, 2012)

The benefits of active learning include improved critical thinking, increased retention of material, increased motivation to learn, improved interpersonal skills, and decreased number of failures (University of Minnesota, n.d.). Students tend to be more engaged and have higher learning outcomes with active learning than with the passive learning such as lectures. Teachers will be able to spend more time engaging with students helping them with the more challenging problems and can see exactly where the students are within their learning. They will also interact with the students more, therefore, building relationships (Carnegie Mellon University, n.d.).

One method of active learning is peer instruction which has many benefits that correlate with a flipped classroom. Prior to flipped classroom there was limited communication between students and their teacher as well as their fellow classmates. With peer instruction it provides students the opportunity to work within groups on assignments which is far more effective than a lecture allowing them to work with and learn from their peers daily (Clark, 2015). While students are in groups collaborating as they are discussing the questions, sharing with one another how they would solve the problems, and then validating their views. Students have shared that they credit the flipped classroom for their success (Clark, 2015).

Active learning not only improves critical thinking skills, retaining new material, but it is also known to improve student outcomes. These improved outcomes can be as simple as having better time management in learning the material as students prefer the options available in learning it. Students also improved verbal skills as they are communicating more with their teachers and peers within small or large group collaborations. This method also allows for students to catch up easier especially for those students who are absent so students are less likely to fall behind (Gomez-Lanier, 2018).

Challenges within a Flipped Classroom

Even though there are many many advantages of implementing a flipped classroom there are still some challenges as well. The first challenge is getting teachers to buy-in to teaching a flipped model. A lot of teachers may not quite have the knowledge of what a flipped classroom is and what it entails. Once the teachers understand the concept they may not see the value in changing from the traditional method to the flipped model (Chellapan, van der Meer, Pratt, & Wass, 2018). Some teachers feel that a flipped classroom underestimates the effect of an in person lecture. Gary Stager, a critic of flipped classroom, states that this is a form of standardizing education and it won’t be long before mediocre teachers are hired to record videos that students across the country will watch in turn not providing that personalized education. (Southern California Public Radio, 2013).

In order to flip the classroom teachers need to have the preliminary homework, video or readings, available for the students to access outside of the classroom. So this generates other concerns, teachers not having the technological skills needed to create this platform. Teachers will need training and some are not very comfortable with it to begin with, especially our veteran teachers (Chellapan et al., 2018). That leads to the time commitment that teachers need to put in preparing for a flipped classroom. They need training and they need to have the appropriate resources to record their video lectures, create flipped classroom material to accompany the videos, and create or identify appropriate online resources (Muir, 2017).

Let’s talk about the students within a flipped classroom. They too need to have an understanding of a flipped classroom so they know the expectations of them. Many students struggle with the change from a traditional model and have difficulty adapting (Zainuddin & Halili, 2016). Some of the students still prefer the in class, face to face, lecture as opposed to the remote instruction. At times, the students lack participation in getting their assignment done prior to class so they are not ready to discuss the material or to further enhance their knowledge when they arrive to class (Muir 2017). As discussed above with the teachers having to provide the material digitally to his/her students creates additional problems if the student doesn’t have access to the internet or doesn’t have any technology available for their use outside of the classroom (Chellapan et al., 2018).

Another challenge or concern within a flipped classroom is having operational challenges. Some were mentioned above as challenges for a teacher as well as a student. For teachers, not having the IT skills needed to manage a flipped classroom. They don’t know how to upload videos to the internet, they don’t know how to share their videos with the students, and to check for understanding or completion of the preliminary work from a distance (Zainuddin & Halili, 2016). Flipped classroom heavily relies on the digital resources available by the school so it’s very important to have the administrators on board. Students need to have internet access at home or where they do their homework so they will have access to the work remotely (Zainuddin & Halili, 2016).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the literature review sheds light on what a flipped classroom is and the history behind it stemming back to 1993, 25 years ago. Within a flipped classroom during class time it is important to have active learning activities such as peer instruction so students can develop a deeper understanding of the material and are more likely to retain it. There are challenges that come with innovative ideas that teachers and students will face, however, these can easily be deterred with training, research, professional development, and creativity. In order to keep up with the ever changing culture of technology it is important that educators evolve in the way instruction is delivered. Teachers can be successful in flipping their classrooms with support from the administration, technology department, and professional development.

References

Bergmann, J. & Sams, A. (2012). Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. International Society for Technology in Education.

Bright HUB Education (2018). History of the Inverted Classroom: Founders, Inspiration and Other Origins of Flipped Learning. Retrieved from https://www.brighthubeducation.com/education-industry/128706-origins-of-flipped-learning/

Carnegie Mellon University (n.d.). Flipping the Class. Retrieved from https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/technology/flippingtheclass/index.html

Chellapan, L., van der Meer, J., Pratt, K., & Wass, R. (2018). To Flip or Not to Flip, That's the Question: Findings From an Exploratory Study Into Factors That May Influence Tertiary Teachers to Consider a Flipped Classroom Model. Journal of Open, Flexible and Distance Learning, 22(1), 6-21. Retrieved from http://www.jofdl.nz/index.php/JOFDL/article/view/324/225

Clark, K. R. (2015, January). The Effects of the Flipped Model of Instruction on Student Engagement and Performance in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom. Journal of Educators Online, 12(1), 91-115. Retrieved from ERIC (EJ1051042).

Gomez-Lanier, L. (2018). Building Collaboration in the Flipped Classroom: A Case Study. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 12(2), 1-9. doi:https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2018.120207

High, P. (2014, January 6). Salman Khan, The Most Influential Person In Education Technology. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterhigh/2014/01/06/salman-khan-the-most-influential-person-in-education-technology/#22c5011e6ffa

King, A. (2013, December). Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side. College Teaching, 41(1), 30-35. Retrieved from https://faculty.washington.edu/kate1/ewExternalFiles/SageOnTheStage.pdf

Lambert, C. (2012, March). Twilight of the Lecture. Harvard Magazine. Retrieved from http://harvardmagazine.com/2012/03/twilight-of-the-lecture

Muir, T. (2017). Flipping the Mathematics Classroom: Affordances and Motivating Factors. The Mathematics Educator, 17(1), 105-130. Retrieved from http://math.nie.edu.sg/ame/matheduc/tme/tmeV17_1/paper5.pdf

Roehl, A., Reddy, S. L., & Shannon, G. J. (2013). The Flipped Classroom: An Opportunity To Engage Millenial Students Through Active Learning Strategies. Strategies, 105(2), 44-49. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/daa3/b94cdc7b52b3381a7c7e21022a7a8c005f84.pdf

Southern California Public Radio (Producer). (2013, February 20). Can flipping the classroom fix the educational system? [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2013/02/20/30599/can-flipping-the-classroom-fix-the-educational-sys/

Talbert, R. (2012). Inverted Classroom. Colleagues, 9(1). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1183&context=colleagues

University of Minnesota (n.d.). Active Learning. Retrieved from https://cei.umn.edu/active-learning

Zainuddin, Z., & Halili, S. H. (2016, April). Flipped Classroom Research and Trends from Different Fields of Study. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 17(3), 313-340. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/2274/3766